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Snow sculpting finds a home in Berthoud

Competition lands in the middle of the new Berthoud Snowfest

By Craig Young

Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
12/17/2016 05:24:20 PM MST

Tami Oswald checks out the polar bear sculpture by Team Surbilly that won third place in the Colorado State Snow Sculpting Competition in Berthoud. On the left is the second-place sculpture of two birds by Team Snice. Oswald and her husband, Alan, who live south of Berthoud, were visiting the competition Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, 2016. (Craig Young / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Colorado State Snow Sculpting Competition winners

• Gold medal: Team Merc of Loveland and Breckenridge — a sculpture of Santa Claus in a bathtub with a reindeer. Members: Steve Mercia, Ben Mercia, Alex Amys.

• Silver medal: Team Snice of Durango and Breckenridge — a comical sculpture of two birds. Members: Keith Martin and Sean Spannhower.

BERTHOUD — The state championship snow-sculpting competition that lost its spot on downtown Loveland's calendar of events this year is enjoying a warm welcome from Berthoud.

The four-day contest formed the centerpiece of the inaugural Berthoud Snowfest, a winter-themed event that culminated Saturday night with a parade of lights, Christmas tree-lighting and carol singalong in Fickel Park.

After announcing the competition's winners Saturday afternoon, Deanne Mulvihill, executive director of the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce, pronounced the event a success.

"We've had people from Wyoming and Colorado Springs and everywhere in between come to check this out," she said.

After the snow was made in Berthoud, trucked to Fickel Park and stomped into 10-foot-high cylinders, spectators stopped at the park each day to watch the nine creations take shape, she said.

Before the 2 p.m. ceremony Saturday announcing the winners of the Colorado State Snow Sculpting Competition, a crowd had gathered in the single-digit weather to view the artists' work.

Carey Hosterman, right, a member of the team that created the sculpture of Harley the rescue dog, talks with Berthoud resident Jerry Chacon during Berthoud Snowfest on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 17, 2016. Chacon and his wife, Pamela, were viewing the nine entries in the sculpting competition. "I'm glad Berthoud's having this. This is awesome," Chacon said. (Craig Young / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

One of the sculptors, Carey Hosterman of Loveland, said the competition's new venue is "a perfect fit."

"Berthoud really came out, and it drew a lot of people from Boulder and Denver," he said. "I'm already excited for next year. It ended up being so much fun."

Hosterman said a man with a clock shop across from the park opened his house to the competitors so they would have a place to rest and warm up.

The Rabble Rousers team of Hosterman, Kerri Ertman and Jade Windell chose to sculpt Harley, Berthoud's most famous puppy mill survivor. The one-eyed Chihuahua, who gained national attention through his owners' public campaign against inhumane breeding practices, died earlier this year.

"Harley has such a huge following," he said, and people came from all over to watch the sculpture take shape.

Their work, "Harley's Dream," earned an honorable mention from the judges and the People's Choice award.

Hosterman, who owns Rocky Mountain Bronze Shop in Loveland, said the weather this year made a big difference in the snow sculpting.

In Loveland, the competition became part of the valentine-themed Fire & Ice Festival in February, and the frequently warm weather and longer days of sunshine took a toll on the blocks of snow being sculpted.

"It would change the look of the snow when the wind came up on a 60-degree day," he said. With much lower temperatures this past week, the snow was hard, rather than slushy, presenting different challenges to the sculptors, he said.